Tabitha Brown, the social media influencer with large platforms across TikTok and Instagram, has announced a physical retail release for her 'Sunshine Seasoning.' The Sunshine Seasoning is a Caribbean-inspired, vegan, all-purpose seasoning made without any salt. Brown created the seasoning through a partnership with McCormick in mid-2021. After launching the seasoning for online sales, the item sold out in mere minutes, making it a large commercial success.
Inspired by this success and as a response to the increased demand across the home cooking community, Brown is now releasing her Sunshine Seasoning on retail shelves across the United States. On top of this, McCormick launched an augmented reality experience titled 'Bring Tabitha Home' on its 'McCormick Flavor Maker' app. With this functionality, home chefs will be able to cook with an augmented hologram of Tabitha Brown herself.
Image Credit: McCormick
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Influencer-created Food Brands
- The success of Tabitha Brown's Sunshine Seasoning indicates a trend of social media influencers capitalizing on their platforms to launch food products.
- Vegan and All-natural Seasonings
- The popularity of Brown's seasoning highlights a trend of consumers seeking out healthier seasoning options made with all-natural ingredients and without added salt.
- Augmented Reality in Food Retail
- McCormick's introduction of an augmented reality experience in their app showcases a trend of companies looking to enhance their customers' in-store experiences through technology.
Where This Applies
- Food and Beverage
- There is a disruptive innovation opportunity in the food and beverage industry for companies to partner with social media influencers to bring unique, all-natural and vegan products to market.
- Retail
- The success of Tabitha Brown's Sunshine Seasoning and McCormick's augmented reality experience highlight a disruptive innovation opportunity for retailers to invest in technology to enhance the in-store experience for customers.
- Marketing and Advertising
- The use of social media influencers to launch products, such as Tabitha Brown's Sunshine Seasoning, opens up new opportunities for marketers and advertisers to reach new audiences and showcase unique products.
